chicagopaul

Some photos from dinner in Eden

14 minutes ago, h20cruzer said:

Hey Paul, would you be able to take several pics of the seating area in Cafe Al Bacio, I have seen plenty of pics of the bar but would like to see the seating areas. Thanks.

Norma

No problem Norma! It is a nice open area actually and I do like it. Not a "cozy" as on S class ships but very nice. I'll be sure to snap some pics tomorrow morning! 

Happy Sunday Everyone,

Covid Tests: To answer that question, we tested the morning we flew down using Binax Abbott at home test through eMed. The test needs to take place within 2 days of the cruise but it can be taking at 1am for instance the morning of if you wanted to. We wanted to make sure we had this out of the way before we flew so we took our test around 5am Thursday morning. We ordered the tests through Celebrity. Cost was $99 I believe for a pack of 3. 

I am slowly learning my way around this ship! We cruised once on the Edge but that is all. This is only our second time on this class and I swear it is so easy to get lost here. 

We did not upgrade our room. The offer never came so we are still in our concierge class stateroom. I have to say that at first I thought the storage was not enough but it really is completely fine for us. We have everything nicely organized. 

I love the shower in the bathroom. Definitely a bit bigger than on the S Class ships. The water pressure is phenomenal! We have no problem getting the room ice cold at night (I need it freezing in order to sleep!) all the room controls have been working just fine, no problems. 

Eden 

Last night we ate in Eden. The bar area upstairs was packed and people were enjoying the show. The dining room was not that crowded at all. We had 8pm reservations. Our service was truly stellar. Really top notch. 

One small thing I always look for is when I go to the restroom is my napkin replaced and/or folded when I return to the table. Murano is always great at this. Usually 80% of the time it is done. Eden is running at 100% haha. Napkin always perfectly folded. Even when I asked for directions to the closest restroom instead of just telling me the assistant waiter escorted me up the stairs to the restroom.

The food was fantastic. We started with the crab cakes, ceviche, & beef cheek over poletenta. Edward then had the lobster and I had the branzino which was absolutely perfect. It was served over a little sticky rice with bok choy and a ginger foam?? Ridiculously good. 

Our sommelier was very attentive and when we told him we'd be fine going above the package he had no issues obliging. We started with a glass of Vueve and then I moved onto an Italian Chardonnay (yes Italy has some stellar chardonnays) and Edward had the Honig Sauv Blanc. 

Martini Bar

We know Tada at the Martini bar and he has made it feel like we're right at home. Introducing us to all the other bartenders. Wayan is behind the bar and it turns out we've cruised with him before too. He poured a 52 martini flight for us when we were on a 14night cruise on the Eclipse. 

We have not had issues getting seats at the Martini Bar. At some times it is pretty busy at others completely dead. With around 1100 passengers on board that is to be expected. 

We've really enjoyed the live music in the martini bar area. They played late last night until 11:45pm and a few people were dancing and it was great to see. Nice selection of music played. Not too loud so we can still chat with people at the bar. It was a great night! 

Pool 

Today the temps were upper 70s. Maybe 80? We were by the pool most of the day. Thankfully not too bad of a sunburn. There was some activities by the pool and the DJ was out there as well. Pretty wide selection of music being played which I enjoyed. We had a handful of drinks of course from the pool bar. 

It was windy so the ship was moving a bit today which means the water was moving today! It was splashing out of the pool at times but the sun was out 90% of the time so no one really seemed to mind. We spent more time in the water today than we usually ever do and I'm really glad we did! 

Masks on Board

The topic everyone wants to talk about right?! Yes, they are required indoors when not actively eating or drinking. I've seen everyone abiding by this. I notice sometimes someone gets up and walks to get something or maybe walks to the bathroom without a mask. I don't see this as intentional behavior when I notice it, it just seems like people forget. 98% are following things strictly. 

There is no additional distancing at bars or anything of that sort. Most people don't seem to be too worried but at the same time I feel like people are "aware" that others might be uncomfortable if they get too close. Overall everyone appears to be very respectful. 

We've already had some great conversations with people on board. The one thing I love about less passengers is that you actually do get to talk to more people that way. It is easier to see the same people multiple times and people seem to be really talkative. I've also noticed a lot more "captains club preview members" meaning we have some first time Celebrity cruisers on board. We spoke with one couple from the Chicago area who are on their second cruise ever. They started after the pandemic. I love hearing stories like that because it makes me feel better about the state of the cruise industry. 

Tonight

We are doing dinner at Fine Cut tonight and it is Chic night. I am wearing my tux which I always look forward to. We might pop over to Eden before dinner to watch a little of the show in there. 

Silent Disco is later tonight in Eden. Not sure if I feel like dancing around wearing a mask so might just go there to sit at the bar and watch people, that is always entertaining! 

Alright, that is all I got for right now. Cheers! 

So I definitely cannot compete with Bennybrun! That live review for the last Apex cruise was completely fantastic. Edward was reading it everyday prior to us leaving for Fort Lauderdale. The info was amazing so thank you! I'm not going to attempt to do my usual blog of posting every single nuance. But I am still going to post daily and hopefully we don't have any login issues this time around! 

Also I will be posting a lot more on social media (pictures and video) and that will probably be the easiest way to follow me. Find me on Instagram under PaulKBlackburn If you find a profile with pictures of martinis and cruises you know you found the right one. 

Originally we were not planning to go on the Apex. We were booked on Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas. We were going on that ship because our friends were going. They ended up getting covid and had to cancel so we decided to cancel that cruise and jump on the Apex for the same dates instead. 

This time around we are staying in a concierge class stateroom (C2). We are on deck 11 and are relatively mid ship. Our cost was $4,300 total which is the indulge package (Premium drink package, etc). We moved a on board future booking we had to book this cruise 1 week out. We have $750 OBC from Celebrity and an additional $275 OBC from our TA. 

We purchased a 5 night dining package. Tonight we have Eden booked and are planning Fine Cut Steakhouse for tomorrow night. 

We did go to the retreat and try to see if we could get an upgrade. We were told the suites were sold out (I know that's not true). But they said they'd call us if something opens up. We will see. We're already unpacked in our room so unless it is a crazy deal we don't plan to move. That would cut into our drinking time! 

Pre-Cruise

We flew down 2 days early on Southwest. We were slightly delayed due to weather in north Florida but we made up the time in the air and the flight was really pleasant actually. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric in Las Olas. 100 times better than the Hyatt Centric in South Beach. We had a nice balcony and while we didn't have a view we had enough space and the hotel was in great shape with a very nice lobby bar and solid staff. It is not right by the beach but we love Las Olas and the restaurant and bar scene. The Happy Hours can't be beat!! 

I was highly impressed with all the bartenders and servers we had while in Fort Lauderdale. Truly stellar service each place we went to and very happy staff who wanted to be exactly where they were. Love that!

Boarding

Boarding was easy! It was definitely busier than when we boarded the Reflection at the end of November. We had to wait around 10 minutes or so after check in to board (roughly 11:10am I think it was) and then we were good to go! 

Onboard 

So far so good! We've already met some bartenders we've cruised with before. Ran into someone who follows me on instagram and have chatted with nice people. So far so good! 

This is only our second time on an Edge class ship. I am a HUGE fan of the S Class ships (my personal favorite) but the aesthetics of this ship are truly beautiful. The storage in the room looks small but we actually made everything fit and found it plentiful and we do over pack! I just wish we had a little more hanging space! 

I'll do my best to check in and post stories of people we meet and post some food photos. I'll definitely be posting a lot to my Instagram story so that will be the easiest way to follow along: PaulKBlackburn 

Cheers Everyone! 

I'm still alive, not dead, haha! Wanted to follow back up with all of you as I never completed the review!

During the cruise, mid way through, I started to have login issues with the Cruise Critic website. Nothing to do with the wifi on the ship, just had to do with cruise critic itself. It was quite frustrating and even with clearing my browser history on my phone I'd run into the same issue moments later. 

From a work perspective it was my first time ever pulling away from work more than 90%. It was awesome. So with that being said, when I started having issues with the website I just said screw it and wanted to make sure I could enjoy the cruise as much as possible, especially being the first one back. 

When I got home my job, which should have been slow at this time of year, was insane! I was hoping most of my brokers were going to take some time off and relax, but nope they were working through the holidays! It wasn't until one of my friends happened to notice people were missing updates that I remembered I need to get back to updating you all!

I'll take this time to jump back in and update you on the remainder of topics I didn't cover in the cruise and will start posting some photos tonight. 

Let's jump in with staff we met on the cruise. I'll throw some names out there and maybe you all remember them or will see them on an upcoming sailing! 

Bar Staff 

Name: Komang

Bar: Martini Bar & Pool Bar 

Truly awesome guy. One of my absolute favorite bartenders because he is so genuine. When he first saw us walking on the pool deck on day 1 he ran out from behind the bar and gave us a huge hug! It was an amazing feeling. He is one of the happiest people I have met on a cruise and if I could pick one bartender to see everyone cruise it would be him, hands down. If you see him on a future cruise send him some love from us.

Name: Anom 

Bar: Martini Bar & Pool Bar 

Great flair bartender. Always a smile on his face and he LOVES putting on a show. He is one of those bartenders that if it is ever slow behind the martini bar he is practicing something and giving everyone a little show. He never needs to be asked to put on a show, it is seriously natural for him. He reminds me a bit of old school Putu who is the "godfather" if you will of the martini bar. 

Name: Tada

Bar: Martini Bar & Any other bar they shove him at

Tada actually switched to the Apex a week after our cruise so that is where he resides now. Tada is a very tall guy. He is HYSTERICAL. If you are from Jersey, please have some fun with him. Your personalities will mesh so well, haha. Sarcastic humor is his specialty. He does great magic too! My favorite memory of him was when he was stuck at the Sunset Bar one afternoon. He said he didn't like the music so he pulled out his phone and started his own playlist and messing with people as they came up to the bar. He also is a great mixologist in the true sense of the word. He was enjoying the slow time at Sunset bar and experimenting with different drinks. He moved to the Apex because he was promoted to Senior Flair bartender. 

Name: Barrington

Bar: Sunset Bar

Barrington is from Jamaica, as are most of the bartenders at the Sunset bar right? Seems to be a theme among all ships. He is a solid guy. Knows your drink order and card number from day one and after a day you'll never have to ask for another drink. They just show up. He can be a little shy at first but opens up once he knows you. He remembers everyone and their names, he is great at that. On the second day you will notice everyone who walks by he seems to know. He also was extremely gracious. On multiple occasions he would talk about how thankful he was that we were cruising so he could be back on the ship. He said that to many people and you could tell he truly meant it. 

Name: Ansel

Bar: Sunset Bar & wherever they sent him! 

Remember, Ansel runs Sunset Bar. It is his bar, that is what he will tell you. When you first see Ansel he exudes a bit of a tough persona, as if he is coming off the streets of Kingston. Seriously, that was my initial impression. Something about that way he carries himself. Then he jokes with you. Then you see and hear him laugh. Ansel is methodical about the way his bar is set up. He has a system and it works. He also makes the specialty drinks for the porch. Grass is Greener is one of them (one of my favorites!). We'd watch him make it almost daily trying to get it just right and changing it a bit here or there and we'd always get a little taste. We didn't see Ansel a ton because he was moving around a lot whether it was pool bar or mast bar. Ansel was truly awesome and if any crew member gave him attitude...well he could give it right back. 

Name: Cranston

Bar: Michael's Club (Retreat Lounge)

Cranston worked in Michael's while we were there. We didn't pop into Michael's much but we really did enjoy him. He treated the bar and the entire club as his own. If we needed anything, for instance, scheduling a time to meet with a future cruises rep, he would pick up the phone and totally take care of it. He had no problem at all solving any issue you had if he heard about it. He also made sure the bar was stocked with whatever anyone wanted. He knew ahead of time we wanted Ketel One and he made sure we had it and knew who we were when we got there. Very nice guy!! 

Name: Olympia

Bar: Michael's club (Retreat lounge) & Pool Bar 

Olympia is from England. When we saw her she was probably heading home in a week. She was very engaging and extremely professional. She really enjoyed working in Michaels and loved getting to know all the guests and what makes them tick, etc. She loved talking about her job on the ship and what she liked and what she didn't like. We didn't really get to know her until the last two days and really wish we had met her much earlier in the cruise. She was absolutely lovely. 

Other Staff

Name: Alfred

Position: Waiter

Location: Luminae

Alfred was awesome!! We had him from day 1 in Luminae and was phenomenal. He really went out of his way to always make great recommendations and explain the menu. He took time to understand what we liked and when he found out we loved Indian food he made sure to bring out small portions of Indian food throughout our cruise. He was extremely attentive, very genuine, and was always in a good mood. We got to know about his family, what he loved about being on the ship, and what he worried about being so far away from his family. 

Name: Sam

Position: Maitr' D

Location: Luminae

Sam was awesome! He actually went home for the holidays. It was a surprise he wasn't expecting. BUT, he will be back at the end of January. He is from England. He is a very funny guy. Extremely energetic. He'd actually make a great Cruise Director in my opinion. He made sure to stop by at least once each meal to see how things were going and more importantly he took time to chat. I never felt as if he was just quickly stopping by and running. He always made his conversation feel genuine. 

Name: Chairul

Position: Butler (Personal Retreat Host)

I mentioned him before plenty of times so you should know who he is. We've known Chairul since he was a bartender at the Martini bar around 8 years ago. We've cruised with him at least 5 or 6 times but this was our first time cruising with him as a butler. He was waiting for us at our concierge class room on day 1! We chatted and he made a passing comment that upgrades were available so we took him up on it and got an awesome corner sky suite in the aft of the ship. He was our butler and we didn't need or want for anything. We are very simple when it comes to our needs in the room, but what is important to me is knowing that if anything does come up that someone is there to take care of it. That to me is where the value is in having a butler. I always felt like Chairul would literally do anything we needed. It was great seeing him again. We even facetimed with him and his wife on the last day of the cruise! 

BAR SERVICE AROUND THE SHIP

Bar service was excellent. This is of course to be expected when you are at 30% capacity. All bars seemed well stocked throughout the ship and we didn’t hear the usual complaints of “really, you don’t have…”

It was great to be able to always grab a seat at Cafe Bacio if we wanted or just walk up and get a quick espresso. No lines. No waiting.

Sunset Bar - We were there every morning! I'll talk about the staff in a separate post, but this was our favorite morning place. I'm missing it so much right now. From a service standpoint, we barely needed to ask for a drink. They just kept coming until we cut them off.

Michael’s Club was not very busy at all, but during peak times there was a small steady group that was loyal and kept coming in.

Casino Bar actually had a decent late night crowd, but late night being defined at 1am, nothing really too later than that.

Martini Bar - Ummm…my favorite place right? It always is! We had a wonderful crew on this ship. Service was stellar. Again, yes I know, with only 738 passengers on board it is easy to give good service. But I will counteract that statement with saying that the staff was SO appreciative of the guests. They truly were (more will come below as I describe each crew member) happy. Just that, they were happy and that made all of us happy.

FOOD

So let’s talk food base on venues we were in

MAST GRILL

They’re not partially cooking the burgers to order which takes a few minutes. But the quality is much better than before. Less people allows them to do this and it turns out great. They are putting all the toppings on for you with the exception of Mayo / Mustard / Ketchup / Hot Sauces (those are self serve). Hot dogs were good as usual. Fries were cooked very well. Plenty of extras such as bacon, mushrooms, onions, sauerkraut, etc.

The service at Mast Grill was excellent. Again I’ll attribute this to the smaller crowds, but the attitudes of the staff here were beyond amazing. They were laughing and chatting with you while you waited. They were extremely nice.

OCEAN VIEW CAFE

No more self service here! They serve you everything. BUT, the setup was excellent. They would mostly serve you from behind the buffet. Meaning you were completely free to look around and get up close to the food to see what you want. They were more than willing to give you as many spoonfuls as you want and even ask you which pieces you wanted when it came to things like chicken, etc.

We only ate here a couple of times. The Indian food I had here was great. We had fried chicken which was surprisingly good. The pizza was excellent with a great crust. We had some pasta late at night and I wasn’t thrilled with the alfredo sauce (a bit more salt and some more cheese mixed in would have been ideal), but the noodles I had were cooked perfectly.

One of the best items I had was actually the pasta salad. I loved it.

Most importantly the staff in ocean view could not have been nicer or more accommodating.

ROOM SERVICE

We ordered room service for breakfast (see video posted in the threads below). It was great. Scrambled eggs on Celebrity have never been my favorite. Probably should have asked for them under done (that is how I like them). Bacon was great. Edward said the pancakes were wonderful. We also had steak and eggs and the steak cook point was a perfect medium rare. Not bad! Now remember we were in a suite so we had our butler checking everything so that also helps.

We did order late night room service one night. Around 2 am. Somehow we ordered 3 ceaser salads…yes 3. 1 with chicken because well why not. Then we also got a pizza and a turkey club sandwich. Yes, we at it all except for one piece of pizza because after eating all of that food the last piece of pizza is clearly a challenge. Timing for our late night drunken order was suppose to be 45 minutes. It arrived in around 20 minutes. Again the wonderful benefits of 30% capacity.

LUMINAE

Luminae this cruise was excellent. Definitely one of the best Luminae experiences we have had not only in service but in food quality. The food came out quick. Service was extremely attentive. The quality of the products being used was excellent. A couple highlights (again keep an eye out for a bunch of photos in the posts below).

The filet - The filet in Luminae was excellent. At least a 10oz filet, cooked exactly as we wanted (medium rare) with perfect seasoning. Quality of the beef was great.

Salmon - We had a wonderful salmon dish for lunch served over a succotash of corn, lima beans, tomato, bacon, and lots of other wonderful goodness. Truly one of the best dishes I’ve had on a cruise ever. So simple but so perfect.

Sirloin Steak - Believe it or not on the last night we had the sirloin steak and it was wonderful. Cook point was on point (see what I did there). Even better was they had steak diane in the MDR so our waiter brought out mushrooms with the steak diane sauce to pour over the top and it was exactly what I wanted and needed that night for dinner.

Halibut - Halibut was served over sticky rice with bok choy with a ginger sauce. Excellent as always. One of my favorite dishes in Luminae.

Turkey Gyro - We had this at lunch. It was amazing. Some great spice on the grilled turkey. Excellent sauce. The pita was fresh. I could eat that all day long. A little more tzatziki sauce would have been nice so if you order this ask for some extra on the side!

Desserts - We are not huge dessert fans but we tried a handful in Luminae and all were really good. My favorite part of dessert was my double espresso which always came out quick. The staff was always on top of this each night.

Wine in Luminae - I was not overly impressed with the wine we were given but not disappointed either. I do blame myself for not pushing our sommelier a little more to get us glasses over the package cost. Happy to pay for whatever by the glass to try something new, so that falls on me. We didn’t have any bad wines however and everything was paired very nicely. Our sommelier (named Siraz - ironic huh?) was extremely attentive and very nice. We never ran low on wine. As a matter of fact I don’t think our glass was ever less than half empty. He was amazing. He also never hesitated to even bring out a small glass of white for our one fish appetizer that he knew we’d be done with in 30 seconds. Can’t complain there.

Before I go into any additional comments about the cruise I want to answer the question of "how I felt" on the cruise from a safety perspective as well as did it feel the same as it did before.

1) I felt completely safe the entire time. As a matter of fact it is the safest place to be in the world. That is not opinion, but it is one of fact. No where else is everyone fully vaccinated & fully tested, plus with the best sanitation protocols in the world. As we know the sanitation protocols on a ship far outweigh any land based restaurant, bar, or hotel. 

2) Did it feel the same as before? No, it felt better. We appreciated everything so much more. The passengers were all in a state of bliss as was the crew. I'll touch more on this in detail later with specific examples, but if any of you are reading this and contemplating whether you should book a cruise now or wait until later, I cannot stress enough that you need to book now. As much as I'm obsessed with cruise travel, I have never been more obsessed with it than after this cruise.

Hi Everyone!

Now that I am back at home after the cruise I can recap everything for you. Unfortunately due to some login issues I was having from my phone (cruise critic related, not a Celebrity wifi issue) I got frustrated and figured I would catalogue everything and then just get back to you on here when I got back. The good news is we got some great photos and great video too so I’m excited to share with you. So let’s start the recap of the cruise.

BOARDING PROCESS

I already mentioned this, but just to quickly remind you, it was awesome. We were docked in what I believe is the oldest passenger terminal at Port Everglades but the staff was fantastic, there was zero line, and everything was handled extremely well.

Have the Celebrity Cruises app downloaded and be logged in! Wear your mask when in the port and port terminal.

Make sure you have the following ready even before you walk into the terminal (they will want to see all multiple times)

- Xpress Docs
- Passport
- Vaccination Card
- Negative Covid test within 2 days of sail date

There are limited little trays to put your stuff in going through security and they’re asking everyone just to put stuff in their bags. So save time and have your big watches, etc. put in your carry on bag. Then once you get into the terminal you can toss your phone in your bag and breeze through security.

You’ll then be directed to someone with a tablet. They’ll check you in with the tablet. Scan your passport. Verify your vaccination card and negative covid test. Once check in is done you will walk a few football fields (haha) over to the ship. They’ll scan your Xpress Docs card from the app and you can then head to your room and grab your sea pass cards. That simple.

COVID POLICIES ON BOARD

Once you arrive on board you can remove your mask and never need it again until you get off in any of the ports. If you want to wear it on elevators you of course can. We saw a few people doing this, but 99% did not.

Crew must wear their masks at all times, even outside. The good news is that they’ll still pull their mask down for photos or to show their faces to the people they know.

Crew is of course fully vaccinated but I was shocked at how many of the crew already had their boosters. They’re pushing for that for all crew. Also all crew is tested weekly.

SHIP CLEANLINESS

I’ve always found Celebrity ships to be very clean. No question about that. But this cruise it was definitely over the top. Everything was spotless. Now granted it is only the 4th cruise back after Covid, but still. The upkeep everywhere, especially in the public restrooms was exceptional.

PASSENGERS & COVID

I was curious how fellow passengers would be on the cruise. Would they not want to sit too close? Would they want space in between barstools? Would they be worried about getting too close on the elevator?

Everything felt completely normal. I can only remember once instance when there was 4 of us on an elevator that people chose to wait for the next one.

SHIP CAPACITY FOR OUR CRUISE

Final number was 738 passengers. Suites: only 35 suites occupied. 31 were booked and 4 were upgraded on board. Total number of crew on board I believe was just under 1200.

WHAT IS IT LIKE SAILING WITH ONLY 738 PASSENGERS?

Absolutely amazing. We were spoiled, haha. No lines whatsoever. But guess what, the martini bar was still packed much of the time? We usually had no issues getting seats but sometimes we had to wait a bit for a seat and stand with our drinks.

You have no issues getting a lounger by the pool. No issues finding a seat at any outdoor bar. No issue getting back on the ship, no line at all. Getting off is quick in any port.

The Best Part of 738 Guests

You get to know so many more people. Sounds counterintuitive right? You would think that with less people you’d find less people to “mesh” with but that is the exact opposite. We made more friends on this cruise than any other cruise before. Never have I ever exchanged more phone numbers added more friends on social media than I did on this cruise.

The Worst Part of 738 Guests

There really isn’t much. The biggest one that stood out to me would be that there was only 1 theater show per night and usually held at 9:15pm.

OK now let’s get into the best parts of everyday on the Reflection….

On 12/1/2021 at 3:38 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 Thank you.  Only one more hurdle for us -- COVID Antigen test at CVS tomorrow morning.  

Looking forward to walking aboard Saturday. 

 

Next cruise. Looks like total passenger count is now around 1200 and total suites booked at 56. 

20 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

Any mention of any Covid cases on board? I see that Reflection is Yellow on the CDC website. Haven’t heard much from ant ships lately so just curious 

Hey Everyone! Cheers from the martini bar. Sorry for the lack of posting. We’ve met so many great people my usual posts at the bar are interrupted by awesome conversation. 
 

To answer the above question. No Covid cases on board. Captain updated this morning to let everyone know all is good. 

On 11/29/2021 at 7:28 PM, JustinAllen said:

Welcome back to cruising!  Look very forward to reading your review as they are always very informative and highly entertaining!

 

Thanks to you, I booked dinner for my wife and I at Gianni's on New Year's Day.  Anything in particular you recommend us having?  Had no idea there was even a restaurant there!  My wife says we now have to watch the movie before we go 🙂. We will be in Ft. Lauderdale as we are embarking on the Edge on Jan 2nd but will drive down to Miami for the day.

 

Thanks again and have a great cruise!

The Sea Bass was very good. So I’d definitely recommend that. We also enjoyed the ravioli that was on the menu. If you get there a bit early there are two bars you can grab a drink at and that was quite fun to just experience another portion of the “mansion” 
 

On 11/29/2021 at 6:48 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 Would you mind asking how many suite guest they are expecting for next week's cruise?  

 

No problem. I’ll ask! I know for total passenger count they’re expecting about the same or maybe a bit more at 800. 

The food has been excellent this cruise. I’m happy to say that there has been no decrease in quality. If anything it is the opposite it looks like quality has increased. Here are some random food photos from Luminae 

Good Morning from San Juan! It looks like my login is correctly working on CC so we can catch up today. 
 

here is todays daily 

FYI having some login issues with cruise critic so another reason for the delay in posting. Hopefully I figured out a way around the issues. 
 

Today we are in St. Thomas. It is definitely a warm one today with temps in the mid 80s and some decent humidity too. 
 

So I know I need to catch you all up on a lot! So I apologize for the lack of pictures and information.  It I need to touch on one thing now as we’ve had time to meet people and more crew. 
 

Each time we cruise, as many of you know, what makes or breaks my experience is not the destination or the weather or even the food in many cases. It is the people. In my 21 cruises on Celebrity I have never been more impressed with the people both on the crew side and the passenger side of things. This is regardless of being in a suite. This is the staff across the board and the people we’ve met across the ship. 
 

The staff has been truly amazing. But amazing in a genuine way that I can’t describe. Their happiness for us being back on board and their genuine gratitude is not just translated by their words or actions. But it is felt. It is felt in a way that envelopes your entire experience from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. It is felt in a way of coming in from the cold and wrapping yourself in a warm blanket by the fire. 
 

The fellow passengers we have met have been just as warm and welcoming. Their treatment and response to the crew has been refreshing. If something is delayed or the bar staff is missing something guess what, the passengers take it in stride. What a marvelous thing. 
 

I have literally lost count of the amount of wonderful people we’ve had conversations with. No matter income class, political party, religious beliefs, etc. the ability for everyone to connect in the moment never ceases to amaze me. 
 

So tomorrow I’ll update with some great food photos. Some nice updates about specific interactions around the ship and I’ll follow up on your questions! 
 

Service in Luminae has been stellar. It is easier when you don’t have so many guests! 
 

Our waiter each day has been Alfred and he’s been great!
 

Right now only 35 suites are occupied with a total of 80 suite guests. Total passenger count on board is 738. 
 

Here are a few random photos from yesterday. 

Yesterday we had lunch in Luminae. It was excellent. We both started with the feta salad. It was basically an arugula salad with feta asparagus and pesto style dressing. It was great. We then both had the salmon. The salmon was incredible. See photos below of the menu and food from lunch. 
 

A little late today in posting! Here is the daily from today 

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 I have to ask, what is the drink in the round glass on top of the water glass?

 

(We will be in the same corner suite but on deck 11 (1665))

 

ah didn’t even notice I caught that in the photo! Nice catch.That is a cognac we ordered last night. Warm water in the glass below so

heat up the cognac. 

Dinner last night 

Smoked Salmon

Filet

Roasted pear with vanilla gelato 

It is roughly 4:30pm on Sunday. I’m sitting on our balcony. If there was ever a day to call a “perfect weather” day on a cruise, today is the day. The temperature feels like 80 degrees. Very little humidity, a slight breeze and perfect sunny. The water is like glass. You could not paint a  more perfect picture or write a more perfect weather narrative for a day on a ship.

Let me catch you all up on a handful of things.

Our Room (new room) 9301

This is a corner Sky Suite (S1). For those of you who have never stayed in this room it is definitely the best style sky suite in my opinion. You have a very large balcony. You are on the aft of the ship so your views are amazing. And you have a port hole window in addition to your typical balcony windows. It is a great spacious room and very quiet thus far.

We haven’t asked our butler for much, but given he is a friend we know he will take great care of us. A few things we’ve notice thus far for instance.

Our drink of choice is Ketel One. Yesterday at dinner as soon as we sat down, without even asking, two Ketel One (with twists) martinis appeared. At the martini bar they knew to expect us (though we know all the bartenders anyway from previous cruises). Cranston, the bartender in Michael’s club was shown photos of us and knew to keep Ketel One stocked which he did. Clearly our butler has been making his rounds!

Let’s talk about the muster drill

It is so simple now! One positive aspect to the whole Covid situation is that now the muster drill is on your app! You watch a couple videos and simply make your way to your muster station to “check in” and you’re done. It could not have been easier. Absolutely phenomenal.

Passenger Count: I spoke with our Michael’s Club concierge and we are at 738 for this cruise with a total of 35 suites booked and roughly 80 suite passengers in total. Wow! And yes I know they’re now called “Retreat hosts” but I’m lazy and old school so it is still Michael’s Club to me just as “evening chic” nights are still Formal Nights to me.

Last Night

Last night we unpacked before sail away and started to get ready for dinner. We left port around 5:30 and were just finishing getting ready to head to the martini bar as we fully pulled out of port. We listed to some music, had our balcony door open, and waived goodbye to Fort Lauderdale. The view leaving port is always surreal. It is always a view that I know will return way too quickly.

We made our way to the Martini Bar around 6pm last night and of course had our usual Ketel One up with a twist! Working the martini bar is Komang, Wayan, and Tada. All of whom we’ve cruised with before. Komang has a special place in our hearts so let me tell you a quick story about Komang.

Literally 4 years ago to this day we were on a cruise where Komang was working the martini bar. The cruise was packed and there were a handful of problem guests who liked to complain. God forbid they wait a few extra minutes at the martini bar for a drink. There was a group of people that always complained and as a matter of fact took their complaints about the martini bar to guest services and the head of F&B. I watched these people at the bar. They were simply incompetent at ordering drinks and even being in public. Just the kind of people who are simply bad people in life. Just not good people. I’m not talking about someone who is having a bad day. But people who are just negative people each and every day. Awful people. These were them. What was worse is I saw how much it actually upset the staff at the bar, especially Komang. It was like the wind was just taken out of him.

Not to bring status into it as I believe regardless of status or cabin class everyone deserves an amazing cruise. But that same evening these idiots come back to the bar to order a drink near where we are seated. I happen to look at their card when they placed it down. They were not even captains club members. This was their first Celebrity cruise and likely first cruise ever. Again that doesn’t matter as everyone deserves amazing service, but damnit I was not going to let them disparage the amazing crew at the martini bar.

Since we knew they were complaining to the F&B director about the martini bar, we decided to do the exact opposite. We knew one of the senior bar managers on the ship and we reached out to praise the martini bar. We happened to be in a Royal Suite this time around and had lunch with all the officers. I spoke directly to the F&B manager about the staff at the martini bar.

Well, apparently it worked! I honestly didn’t think much of it. I just figured since I love the staff there it is something I should do incase the complaints of these people escalated. Well, a year later when we ran into Komang he told us the story. Apparently it did make a difference and he still remembered it.

The whole point of this story is to stress that your words carry a lot of weight. Especially if you’re avid cruisers with Celebrity. So if you have a complaint, choose your complaints wisely. But if you have a compliment make sure you shower the compliments as much as possible to every officer you meet.

OK so now that story time is over lets move on with our evening. We had a martini at the martini bar (duh!) and then had a vodka on the rocks. We then made our way to Michaels Club. The host is John (we’ve sailed with him before, awesome guy!). The suite manager is Bianca who hopefully we will meet tonight. We’ve hard great things. We had a glass of champagne at Michael’s Club and then headed to Luminae for dinner.

For dinner we had the burrata and smoked salmon to start. We actually each wanted to have the burrata and smoked salmon. I made the mistake of letting Edward order. His communication skills sometimes leave a bit to be desired so we instead received 1 burrata for him and 1 smoked salmon for me. I didn’t realize this was happening until I saw our steaks coming out. But oh well, I try to pick my battles with him wisely. This wasn’t one to fight about.

We then both had the filet. The filet was done perfectly and was a huge portion. 12oz easily. You’ll see photos posted below of the food. I was impressed with everything that came out of the kitchen last night in Luminae, whether it was being brought to us or other tables. The food all looked amazing. The quality of my steak was excellent.

Our waiter last was Alfred and assistant waiter was Afrin. I need to catch the hostesses name (I forgot to look) but she is very nice. The maitre’d is Sam who is a blast to talk to and very funny. He walks around and does at least a couple table touches throughout the night.

After dinner last night we went to the casino where we donated a few hundred dollars to Celebrity. After all they’ve had a rough 18 months right? We then went back to the martini bar and met a wonderful couple that we chatted with until the bar closed. In the grand foyer they had a “guess the song” game for at least an hour and played 80s music all night. While the ship is not at all crowded there was a decent crowd in the foyer and it seemed like people were staying up later than usual on Celebrity.

What I have noticed that is true across the board is the genuine happiness by everyone. The crew and the passengers. The crew has always been great. When you would see them they’d always say good morning or good afternoon. But this time around I’ve noticed something different. The crew is now going out of their way to greet you. When they see you coming they almost put themselves in a position to get in your line of sight and say hello. Ask how your day is going. This is across the board from bartenders to those cleaning the pool deck or the maintenance people fixing a lightbulb. It is truly remarkable. But it gets even better. The passengers are the same way. I’ve never had so many guests say “good morning” to me than I have this morning throughout the ship. The amount of gratitude that is in the hearts of each and every person on this ship is beyond amazing. There are no words I can type that properly describes it. Each and every person we have met appears to be in a state of total bliss. Maybe they’re drugging us in the water? Haha.

With the above being said, if any of you are contemplating whether now is a good time to cruise or not, the answer is YES. This is the time.

Here is the daily from today! I’ll update with food pics from yesterday soon! 
 

12 hours ago, hcat said:

Amazing flowers.. they were comp?

We usually purchase a few arrangements to perk up the stateroom but these look outstanding.

Enjoy!

 Yep they were comp! At least neither of us ordered them haha. They really do look beautiful! 

Good Morning everyone! Currently we are sitting at Cafe Bacio waiting on an americano to bring us back to life. Before we get into last night let me briefly explain our upgrade situation. 
 

As you know we originally booked a concierge class cabin. 
 

There is a butler on the reflection that we’ve known for years. We knew him from about 10 years ago when he was a bartender and have cruised with him many times and have remained friends on social media. He is an amazing guy. We told him we were coming on board and yesterday when we were headed back to our cabin around 2pm he was there waiting to greet us. We chatted and caught up. I made a passing joke about wishing we would have upgraded to a suite and he said he could get the pricing to do so. He made a call, gave us the $ number, and 10 minutes later we moved to cabin 9301. A beautiful corner sky suite. And the best part is he is our butler! His name is Chairul and he is absolutely amazing. Our state room attendant is Laliana and she is equally amazing. 
 

So that is how we quickly made the upgrade happen. And as far as the flowers go yes those were complementary in the concierge cabin! 

The amazing thing is we have already seen so many crew that we’ve cruised with before. Walking by the pool bar we saw Komang who we’ve cruised with multiple times. He ran out from behind the bar to give us a hug. We’re thrilled he is on board! I’ll sum up all the people we know soon. 
 

A couple things from initial observation. 
 

Mast Grill - Ate lunch here today. Burgers were made to order. They came out great. Service there was very nice and friendly. They put the toppings on for you such as lettuce, pickles, etc. You still put on your own mustard etc. They have a nice selection of hot sauce etc for you as well. 
 

Package upgrades - Because so many people already have drink packages etc there is very little push to upgrade. I don’t see a lot of people around trying to upgrade you. A nice change. 
 

Flowers in the room - Remember the small little flowers? They’re now large and beautiful. See photo below. A very nice change. 
 

Mask Policy - As soon as you board that mask can come off. Thank goodness! The crew are still required to wear theirs at all times. 
 

Initial reaction of passengers we’ve seen / met - Avid cruisers. They’re thrilled to be back on board. Now granted this is only the first few hours but in the past we’ve always heard some complaints. Not here. These are the happiest people I’ve ever met. Now let’s see how this evolves as the cruise goes on but so far so good. 
 

Luggage - Luggage was at our room by 2pm. 
 

Crew - Initial reaction is that there is a genuine happiness from the crew to be here. There is true sincerity in all their actions. Perhaps it is the fact that they’re wearing masks so they need to be more vocal or perhaps it is true appreciation. My guess is it is both 100%. 
 

Also a big shout out to Bob and Terry, our cruise friends who were on here before us. They arranged for a great bottle of champagne to be in our stateroom upon arrival.